Although craft beer aficionados are probably more willing to move out of their comfort zone, some beer mavens like to find something they like and stick with it.
It's pretty much an accepted notion that a large chunk of our population is somewhat resistant to change and trying new things.
I couldn't find any hard statistical data to back this up, but just observing and talking to people over the years makes me believe that this is true.
It's not true of everybody, of course, and a lot of the resistance probably depends on what the change is. For example: Simply trying something new one time is less threatening than a more permanent shift.
Yet you still find people who are resistant to even trying something new on a small scale. I have been guilty of that at times and I can't quite tell you why.
Although craft beer aficionados are probably more willing to move out of their comfort zone, some beer mavens like to find something they like and stick with it. I've been guilty of that. This may be especially true of the newer craft beer fans, who may find a general zone–like, say stouts–and prefer to not move too far away from that style. Sometimes, a bad first experience with a certain style or particular brewer may inhibit a person from venturing into those territories again. In addition, the idea of a so-called "acquired taste"–- taste to which one has to become acclimated over time–is a troublesome prospector some people.
I mention this concept today because I recently came across a website called beerviz. The goal of the site is to create away for beer drinkers to find new, but similar beers to the ones are drinking, slowly expanding the area of their beer comfort zone.
By using data that is collected over the past decade, which was compiled by Stanford University, the site asks you what sort of beer you like in certain categories: the color, strength, aroma, taste, etc. The site then presents you with somewhat of a map/matrix to help guide you to similar styles.
The site also has plenty of information about different types of data they've accumulated over the years, as well as a whole explanation of how the project was conducted. (This last segment is definitely for data geeks only.)
While this site may seem to be specifically for newbies or the faint of heart, it actually can help even experienced beer drinkers look at their beer drinking habits. I guess the ultimate goal would be to keep using the site and having your palate expand by moving to the edges of each style and then stretching beyond it.
How willing are you to stretch your beer tastes? Give the site a try and let me know what you think.